Backhand Bella
It is Bella’s strongest and safest shot. She will set up points to hit as many backhands as possible and may even move across the court to avoid using her forehand. Your job is to spot her patterns, create space, and find ways to attack her weaker areas.
Strengths
Strong, reliable backhand – She trusts this shot, using whenever possible.
Good positioning – Moves early to favour her backhand.
Consistent rally player – Prefers long exchanges where she can control with her backhand.
Weaknesses
Less confident on the forehand – This side may be more vulnerable.
Court positioning creates open spaces – She may move over too much to hit a backhand, leaving space for you to exploit.
May struggle with high, deep balls – Depending on her technique, high balls to the backhand can disrupt her rhythm.
How to play against Backhand Bella?
Observe and Learn
Watch where she stands in warm-ups or previous matches.
Does she move early to hit backhands? Look for space she leaves open.
What types of backhands does she like? Does she prefer low, fast shots or high, deep ones?
Control the Court and Create Space
Use angles and depth to move her around.
Force her to hit forehands by playing to open space.
If she overcommits to the backhand, attack the forehand side quickly.
Serve and Return Tactics
On your serve:
See if you can target her forehand for a weaker return.
If she stands wide, serve into the open space.
On her serve:
Find ways to take control early and avoid feeding her strong backhand return.
If she gives space, step in and attack.
Test Her Backhand Early
Don’t assume her backhand is unbeatable – test it out in the first few games.
Keep a good depth and quality when hitting to her backhand.
If she’s handling it well, shift focus to creating space and forcing forehands.
Find out more about handling your opponent in our Competitions area
Practice Drills to Prepare
Backhand Target Game
Play points where a hitting partner can only use backhands.
The goal: Create space and force them to hit forehands or open up an attacking shot.
Play first to 10, then swap roles to experience both sides.
Backhand Bonus Challenge
Play against a partner with a strong backhand.
Give them double points if they win a point using their backhand.
This forces the player to strategize and find ways to attack their forehand.
Targeted Serving
Practice serves that seek out the opponent’s weaker forehand return.
Experiment with wide serves to create space and body serves to jam their backhand.
